Science Education Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education

The Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education is for those with a science or science education background who wish to pursue careers as college or university science teachers, science education researchers, science teacher educators, curriculum specialists, high school science department chairs or professionals in government agencies or school districts.

Admission Requirements
In addition to the general admission requirements of The Graduate College, applicants must have a master's degree in a science or science education, unless applying for the concurrent-enrollment program (a special WMU program for those wishing to become college teachers of science or researchers regarding the learning of science).Note: The GRE is required for Ph.D. application, and additional application requirements are described below.

Applicants not meeting these requirements may be admitted provisionally.

Program Content
The program has three tracks:
1. college science teaching; 2. college science teaching with discipline-specific research focus; 3. curriculum and instruction (K-12). The tracks share a common core, along with some specialization.

Program: Graduate study in the scientific, historical and philosophical aspects of science teaching and learning with a specific focus on the teaching and learning of science at the college level.
Requirements: Science qualifications at master's level or equivalent.

2. CST/DRF - college science teaching with discipline-specific research focus

Career goal: Faculty in a university science department or teacher education unit, involved in both teaching and research.

Program: Graduate study and research in the teaching and learning of science concentrating on specific disciplines: i.e. biology, chemistry, geography, earth sciences or physics. Emphasizes pedagogical content knowledge for these disciplines.

Requirements: Science qualifications at master's level or equivalent.

3. C&I - science curriculum and instruction with K-12 focus

Career goals:

Science teacher educator

Science curriculum specialist

Science education researcher

School science department chair

At colleges and universities, government education agencies or school districts

Program: Graduate study in the scientific, historical and philosophical aspects of science curriculum and instruction with a specific focus on the teaching and learning of science at the K-12 level.

Requirements: Masters degree in science education or equivalent.

These program tracks are not mutually exclusive but are offered as guidelines for the best preparation with regard to career options. WMU also offers a unique concurrent-enrollment program where students are jointly admitted to an MA program in science (biology, chemistry, earth science, geography, or physics) and the PhD program in science education.

All tracks seek to provide:

a rich understanding of the history of science education in the United States and current national reform efforts.

a familiarity with the history and philosophy of science that can inform science teaching and learning.

a critical understanding of pertinent issues in cognitive psychology and cognitive science.

a critical understanding of the major research traditions in science education.

a graduate level understanding of at least one science discipline that will inform subsequent research and teaching in that area.

critical understanding of the role of technology in facilitating science teaching and learning.

Doctoral Associateships - Application Deadline - Anytime
For the past several years, all qualified full-time students in the Mallinson Institute for Science Education have received adequate funding through doctoral associateships offered each year by the Institute and the Graduate College. (Most students are part-time and support themselves by other means.)

A limited number of these associateships are competed for each year. They typically include a stipend, remission of the out-of-state portion of tuition, and, in some cases, remission of all tuition. (They do include health insurance.) Typical duty is teaching a section of one of the introductory science courses for prospective teachers. The courses are in the disciplines of life, physical science, and earth science. It is anticipated these courses will provide opportunities for research as well as invaluable teaching experience.

Note: Assistantship application deadline is February 15 (different than a doctoral associateship). Information about student loans and other federal, state, and University need-based financial aid programs may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Admission

Application instructions:

WMU has a new online graduate application system that allows all students (domestic and international) to submit required information into one system. General application information for the University, as well as specific requirements for individual programs, are captured into this system.

Applicants are asked to include some program-specific information, with a summary for these application requirements found below: